Greater Pibor Calls for Urgent Food Aid as Drought Deepens Hunger Crisis

By Simon Deng

Authorities in South Sudan’s Greater Pibor Administrative Area have appealed for urgent emergency food assistance for drought-affected communities. A recent humanitarian needs assessment highlighted severe food consumption gaps among vulnerable households in the region.

David Ngiro Yangkon, the caretaker chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), emphasized the critical need for immediate aid.

“Based on the current drought situation and humanitarian needs assessment, priority interventions are urgently required,” Yangkon stated on Saturday. “We call for the provision of emergency food support to vulnerable households facing severe food consumption gaps.”

Areas severely affected by the prolonged dry spells include Pibor, Gumuruk, Lekuangole, Verteth, Jebel Boma, Pochalla South, and Pochalla North counties.

Yangkon explained that humanitarian intervention would provide life-saving support to vulnerable households, help communities preserve essential livelihood assets, and build resilience against future climate shocks.

He noted that “women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, households with limited resources, internally displaced and returnee households, and female-headed households are disproportionately affected by crises.”

Since April 2026, the Greater Pibor Administrative Area has experienced severe climate shocks, including rising temperatures that have significantly impacted crop and livestock production.

Yangkon disclosed that prolonged dry spells, below-average rainfall, and high temperatures have severely affected both crop and livestock production systems.

He also revealed that humanitarian food assistance is urgently needed to prevent further deterioration into crisis and emergency food insecurity conditions.

“Field observations indicate delayed planting, poor seed germination, crop wilting, reduced cultivated acreage, shrinking pasture resources, and declining access to water sources,” he said.

“The ongoing drought has significantly impaired agricultural production and livestock productivity, resulting in increased food insecurity among vulnerable households.”

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, a substantial proportion of the population in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area is experiencing emergency (IPC phase four) levels of acute food insecurity.